Antse7en

Hi first of all I hope I'm posting in the correct area, and if not apologies in advance!

I currently live in London and wish to make the move to the US.

I was originally born in Florida keys but moved to the UK at a very early age with distant relatives. I hold both a British and American passport, so visa applications, green cards etc aren't necessary in my case.

The advice I'm looking for is more along the lines of the process to making the move, general living costs, finding an apartment, what I'd need to do once I'm there to be able to apply for work etc, pretty much all requirements you can think of to be honest.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has made the move, and what they've had to do from that point up to now, but appreciate any information/advice you may be able to offer...

Thanks!

Anthony

FYI: Ideally (though not strictly) I'd like to move to some part of Florida and aim to do so within the remainder of 2010.

Bob

Welcome to BE

Glad you cleared up the citizenship issue...but have you been filing your US tax returns with the IRS and as a bloke, signed up for SS?

As for your actual questions, many of them in general can be found if you searched the US forums, but it would help if you knew what area you were looking for, cost of living and rent in Florida is going to be way different than Arizona, and even within the state itself. Same with job, what kind of work and qualifications do you have?

city-data.com is a good place to start.
craigslist and realtor.com for rent and the latter for jobs too

Antse7en

Thanks for your reply and BE welcome

The fact that I am unsure what SS refers to hopefully gives you an indication of how much information I need to know, but these are exactly the type of things I need to hear so please don't be shy!

With regards to filing a US tax return, I am completely unaware I would need to do that? I've not worked in the US, only been back on short vacation. Is this something that could hold potential implications later on?

Charlotte County is somewhere I have been looking into, coming across a few reasonably priced apartments in Punta Gorda, then again I hardly know what is truly reasonable.

I used to work in IT at an early age, hold many qualifications in that area but have been with the police now for the last 2 years. Obviously that is in addition to general work experience, some average school qualifications/grades etc.

I was thinking some form of security work out there for the time being, hopefully this giving me the opportunity to have a good look around - possibly into the police but that would certainly be something for the future once settled.

I'll have a good look around the forums and see what I can pick up from there, thanks again.

Ant

Bill_S

SS means Selective Service (registering for military draft). At present there is no draft, but you might have been required to register - I don't know if that is the case, though.

BritishGuy36 has created a wiki describing tax filing with the US Embassy in London: link

Antse7en

With regards to SS - Would this be something I'd register for once living in the US? As I understand it the UK would not allow the US to draft a 'UK Citizen' as I'm classed as one. But this is a complicated issue, whilst at the US Embassy I was informed that the UK recognise dual-nationality and the US do not.

I have emailed the IRS requesting some information on my personal circumstance and what they require from myself.

Thanks for your reply

Bob

Between 18 and 26, he'd have to have signed up for SS being a USC.

And as a USC, he should have filed tax returns, but probably didn't have any taxes to pay.

It's not a big issue, you can back file, it only becomes a problem if you want to sponsor a family member really.

As for the police, normally they require a degree of some sort these days, but then again, requirements do vary from state to state and county to county, so not worth worrying about till a location is in mind.

Jerseygirl

That means to the US you are a US citizen full stop...they do not recognise any other citizenships you may have....and being a USC you should have signed up for SS.

ian-mstm

Your understanding is incorrect. One of the responsibilities (some say perks) of dual citizenship, is that you can *not* evade responsibility in one country by claiming to be a citizen of another country.

Ian

Mummy in the foothills

Lots of 18 to 20somethings don't even bother to sign up for selective service, it's needed if you have any intentions of getting federal money for a college education, it's part of the questionnaire. So I wouldn't even worry about that right now.
You will however need your Social security number to open bank accounts, get a drivers license, get a rental property and a job.
That is what I thought the person mentioning SS meant at first.
Have look about on www.craigslist.com for prices on rental, jobs, etc etc.

henryh

If you have a couple thousand $ in savings it might be worth moving out for a month to get a feel for the area you're thinking of living in. You should be able to find a sublet for a month on craigslist. It's also much easier to job-hunt, open bank accounts etc in person.

meauxna

There's quite a bit of info you might need here, before you go.

American Citizen Services
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/acs/index.html

Bob

Most do it at school...not to mention the horde of military folks trying to sign kids up for service.

Antse7en

Appreciate all the responses.

I'm not particularly worried about the tax issue just yet, as I don't see why I would owe any - but I have sent the email regardless and I'll see what comes back.

Same with the SS really, it's something I have no problem doing if required, but I doubt it will be much of an issue as I wasn't aware.

I'll worry more with regards to my SSN, license, bank accounts etc as a priority - anything else of major importance to add to this list?

I do have savings, and I think this is probably a very good idea! What information are you required to provide in order to rent a property, open a bank account, apply for jobs etc? I have only my US Passport and Birth certificate as proof of being a USC.

Thanks

henryh

Passport should be all you need for a bank account and a job. You'll need a social security number for a credit card application and HR will want it soon after you start working (though they should not withhold your paycheck until you provide it). SSN is easily obtained though at a social security office. You can get the number in a day or two and the card in a couple of weeks.

Renting varies widely with the landlord - anything from 1 month's rent up front in cash and no questions asked, to a credit check, employment verification and several references.

Antse7en

That's great, SSN definitely one of the things I'll do during my month over there - now just need to make a decision on the area.

I have a cousin in Jacksonville (North I believe) so that could be a possibility.

Roughly (excluding flights and rent) how much money would you suggest I look to take with me for the period of a month, taking into account food, travel expenses, any utilities etc.

Thanks